Widening of I-290, expanding Blue Line to be discussed

IDOT and CTA to meet Feb. 21 with local advisory group, task force

Traffic heading east and westbound on I-290 looking eastbound from the Austin overpass in Chicago, early Oct. 10, 2012. (Heather Charles, Chicago Tribune)

Widening the Eisenhower Expressway and extending the CTA Blue Line to Mannheim Road are among the improvements still under consideration in the state transportation department's study of Interstate 290, state officials said.

The improvements will be back up for discussion this week when officials from the Illinois Department of Transportation and the Chicago Transit Authority are scheduled to meet Feb. 21 with its local advisory group and task force.

The Eisenhower Expressway's study team will present updates on the project's purpose and introduce new potential improvement ideas for the 7-mile stretch of the highway under review, according to a press release from the state. The CTA is also expected to introduce its "Vision Study" of the Blue Line.

When asked for more details about what will be presented, a spokeswoman for CTA, Lambrini Lukidis, said representatives will talk "briefly" about the study, which would give the CTA an "opportunity to examine long-range possibilities for its 55-year-old infrastructure, station/terminal needs, customer access points and the park and ride facilities along the Eisenhower."

A spokesman for IDOT, Mike Claffey, said extending the CTA's Blue Line to Mannheim Road is an option being considered by the study team, but widening the Eisenhower is still also on the table.

The latter option has been unpopular among some Oak Park residents, including Rick Kuner, a member of the citizen organization Citizens for Appropriate Transportation, which formed in response to the "threat of expanding the Eisenhower Expressway," according to its website.

Kuner, who said he is a retired city planner, said adding lanes to the Eisenhower won't solve transportation problems. Extending the Blue Line and area railroad tracks to include three tracks, one for freight trains and two for commuter rail, makes more sense, especially for a village with a dense population like Oak Park, he said.

Kuner said he is heartened by CTA's pursuit of a vision study.

"The vision study from my point of view is some evidence that the CTA is now serious about considering this," he said.

The Eisenhower Expressway study is expected to remain in a planning phase until 2014, and there is no funding at this point for the second phase, which would include construction, said Claffey.

The study area is centered along I-290 from Mannheim Road to Cicero Avenue, according to IDOT. This corridor passes through eight communities: Chicago, Bellwood, Broadview, Forest Park, Hillside, Maywood, Oak Park and Westchester.

The next public meeting is scheduled for 9 to 11 a.m. Thursday, Feb. 21 at The Carleton Hotel, 1110 Pleasant St., in Oak Park.